For those who enjoy the natural beauty of publicly owned lands and the cultural resources found on some of the properties in Cecil County, there’s some great new out of the Historic Elk Landing Foundation (HELF) this morning. HELF announced that the 62 acres of land purchased by the Town of Elkton through grants from the Maryland Public Open Space program is now open to the public for strolling and picnicking from sun up to sundown year round. The nearly fifteen year old nonprofit overseeing the restoration of the historic structures, caring for the grounds, and providing interpretive programming says it is “proud and pleased” to make this announcement as it provides stewardship for “a lot of land “ that “is some of the most picturesque ground in the Elkton area.”
The nonprofit has been charged by the Town of Elkton with preserving and presenting this valuable public resource to the community since 1999. It is accomplishing its mission through living history interpretations, regular programs that draw on the site history, and the restoration of the cultural resources, according to the organization’s website. The property’s owner, the municipality, transferred responsible for the restoration, management and operation of the site as a living history museum to the nonprofit. At the time that was done, the town stated that it was creating a public-private partnership that freed the municipality of the responsibility for bearing the cost of the maintenance, upkeep and operation of the site, as a nonprofit would be able run fundraising events and seek corporate sponsors.
Click here to read the full announcement.
